Connor Mullen, a 16-year-old sophomore, said he was surprised by the reaction to his “Make America Great Again” hat.

“(Students have been) knocking my hat off a lot. (I’ve) had it thrown in the trash can once,” he said.

He said the negative comments from teachers were unexpected.

“One teacher told me thank God I couldn’t vote,” Mullen said. “The teachers surprised me because my dad is a teacher, and I know for a fact that teachers are supposed to be, like, not involved. They don’t have to agree with me. They just have to bite their tongue and not comment on it.”

Superintendent of Schools Ken Kunin said he sent an email to faculty members reminding them to be respectful of varying viewpoints.

“I vote for Trump even though I can’t vote, and their pick is to pick on me even though people are wearing Bernie and Hillary stuff,” Mullen said.

Kunin said the situation has created “a beautiful problem.”

“In American society today, we don’t have to rub elbows with people we don’t agree with that much, but in a public school, high school, we do – from all walks of life, from all races, from all religions, from all political persuasions,” Kunin said.

Mullen said he’ll continue to wear his Trump hat to school and support that candidate who made an impression during a recent rally in Maine.

“I saw him in Portland, yeah. One of the best days of my life. I met him, too. He signed a couple of my signs,” Mullen said.

He said he’s reached out to the Trump campaign to see if it might be interested in his story, but he hasn’t heard back.